Sleep – How much should you get?

When I cover the keys to health, the keys to recovery from a chronic condition or the keys to preventing a chronic condition I generally focus on 7 things:

1. Eat real food (produce, organic if you can, nothing processed or from factories)
2. Get your nutrients (we all must supplement vitamin D and likely other nutrients)
3. Reduce Stress (this might have to include turning off the news and your smart phone alerts)
4. Get enough exercise
5. Fix your biome (internal environmental diversity)
6. Surround yourself with nurturing people who support your passions and healing
7. Get enough SLEEP (Restorative good sleep!)

 
So how much sleep is right for you? While this can certainly vary from person to person, and we need more during times of growth or stress, there are some guidelines.
 
In my scan of important articles (something I do every day) I stumbled on three – all addressing the sleep issue based on studies presented yesterday at the European Society of Cardiology.
 
The PESA study enrolled 3,974 healthy middle-aged adults and carefully tracked sleep quality and quantity. 
 
Here is what they found:

1. Those getting less than 6 hours a night had significantly more atherosclerosis than those who got seven to eight hours.
2. Those with the most fragmented sleep were more likely to have atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
3. Those with short or disrupted sleep were also more likely to have metabolic syndrome, (the combination of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity).

The second study presented that in 1993, 50% of all men born in 1943 and living in Gothenburg were randomly selected to participate in a study. Of the 1,463 invited, 798 (55%) men agreed to take part. These men were followed for 21 years. Here is what they found:

1. Sleeping five hours or less a night, doubled the risk of cardiovascular disease compared to getting 7 or 8 hours of sleep.
2. The magnitude of increased cardiovascular risk associated with insufficient sleep was similar to that of smoking or having diabetes at age 50.

 
The third study was a meta-analysis of 11 prospective studies of more than one million adults without cardiovascular disease published within the last five years. The researchers found:

1. Six to eight hours sleep a night is most beneficial for heart health. More or less is detrimental.

 
So how do we make sure we are getting enough, quality sleep?
 
A regular routine of going to bed at about the same time each night is important.  The 7 keys to health that I started with at the top of this article are important!
Avoid alcohol and caffeine before bed, and avoid large meals or vigorous exercise right before bed.  Having the room dark, cool and avoiding the blue lights of screens is important.
 
One important tool, I use, just hitting the market for the first time to monitor your sleep for both quality and duration is the Oura ring. I have found the data so helpful as I now know what my challenges are. The Oura ring tracks total sleep time, time in bed, resting heart rate and how much time you are awake, in REM, light or deep sleep. The app then makes recommendations for you based on your own data! This ring also tracks heart rate variability, a key measure of health, as well as your steps and calories burned.

OURA RINGS
www.ouraring.com
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